El Cañón del Sumidero (or The Sumidero Canyon) is one of the not so hidden gems found in the southern state of Chiapas, Mexico. It is easier to visit by tour, than without. This canyon is accessible from both Tuxtla Gutierrez and the more popular San Cristobal de las Casas.
Archeologists believe that the Grand Canyon and the Sumidero Canyon formed around the same time. Formation began 35-million years ago, by a crack in the crust of the surface followed by the flow of the Grijalva River.
The Grijalva River flows from south to north and is the main water system for the area. The river begins in Guatemala and flows to the state of Tabasco, where it empties into the Usumacinta River.
The canyon is deep and narrow and generally characterized by vertical walls. The width of the canyon is always changing, but usually varies between 3,300 and 6,600 feet. A majority of the canyon’s walls are between 600 and 2,300 feet tall. The highest point is upwards of 3,300 feet (or 1,000 meters).
The Sumidero Canyon exposes areas of the Earth’s crust that includes layers of limestone from the Upper Mesozoic era. Many of these layers contain fossils of the marine creatures that have lived here over time.
In 1986 the federal government reported that there were 90 species of vertebrates. In 2005, a new study indicated that the total number of species had increased to 308 varieties. The varieties are between four species of fish, 15 amphibians, 53 mammals, and 195 species of birds.
The Sumidero Canyon is home to three endangered animals, all protected within the boundaries of the park. The most notable include the area’s apex predators, the river crocodile and the ocelot. The third is the always popular, spider monkey.
Exploring the Canyon by Boat
I took a day trip to see this canyon with a tour that was offered by my hostel. The tour picked us up at about 915 am and didn’t drop us off until close to 6 pm.
The tour began by driving us two to two and a half hours north of San Cristobal to a viewpoint at the top of the Sumidero Canyon. We couldn’t help but feel a little let down as our group exited the van and began walking toward the viewing rail.
There was heavy cloud cover including a dense fog layer that blocked the view we’d come to see. We stood around for 15 minutes before a few of us decided to stumble back to the car. I held my ground holding out hope. I’d noticed the clouds had begun to rise and right as I was about to return to the van, the veil lifted just enough to tease of what could be.
We stopped at two more viewpoints, the coolest of which included a triple decker viewing platform with a gift shop. I felt the best part of the tour was the boat ride through the canyon, taking us from the north end to the south. The ride came to a close at the small town of Chiapa de Corzo.
The boat went right through the center of the canyon with my favorite part located right at the beginning. A waterfall blasted through the cliffs, spraying the rocks and river below. The seemingly impossible waterfall spilled out directly over a rock formation called Christmas Tree Rock (or Arbol de Navidad). This formation has different slabs of limestone that jut out from the rest of the canyon’s wall, making a cone formation. With a little imagination the rocks look very similar to a Christmas Tree.
The Sumidero Canyon reminded me a lot of the Zion Canyon, found in the southeast corner of Utah. The major difference between the two, is the strong river current of the Grijalva River. The Grijalva’s flow is incredibly strong and runs through the center of the canyon. In contrast to Zion and its river, the Grijalva impedes visitors from exploring the base of the canyon without access to a boat.
Sumidero Canyon National Park is a breathtaking place that all regional visitors should be sure to check out. I was surprised to find that most of the tourists visiting the canyon were Mexican Natives. The beauty of this site left me expecting to see far more international tourists. In fact, during the not so long-ago year of 2009, the park had been a candidate to become one of the freshly named “Seven New Natural Wonders of the World.”
Any tourist of the state of Chiapas needs to see this natural beauty. This is an experience that would be a welcome adventure for the entire family. Get outside the cities and experience some of Mexico’s beautiful nature. If you find yourself close to Chiapas then be sure not miss out on the gorgeous Sumidero Canyon.
